@everyone My question is “what is the reasoning behind the idea?” (I am quoting @JLeslie). whether it’s yes to licence plates or no. So, on balance which is better? There is the manpower needed to enforce traffic laws, hospital emergencies rooms care if accident the fault of the cyclists, to pay for the bike paths and clearing them etc.

“Bicycle theft is a particular concern in Japan, and with good reason. It sometimes seems like drunken salary-men will take the first bike they find on their way home, and rates of theft seem a contradiction to the widely held “safe and honest” image of Japan. Even worse, the recovery rates for stolen bikes are quite low, meaning if you lose it you are likely not getting it back. As a result of this cyclists are required to register their bicycles. If store bought, your bike will have been registered by the shop at the time of purchase, but if your bike is second hand (or from Amazon.co.jp) you should take it to a bicycle store or police station where they will register it for a small fee.” http://japaninfoswap.com/bicycle-japan-know-the-laws/

According to my daughter, you also must have up to date insurance. She didn’t say anything about license plates.

We had licence plates on bikes when I was a kid, 50 years ago. They were free from the police station (or close to – I think the most I ever paid was less than $1). They were primarily used to i.d. the bikes in case of theft. Of course they could be cut off so that eventually fell by the wayside.

So, should cars no longer have licence plates on them since pedistrians and animals can cause accidents and they don’t have licence plates on them? I’m just thinking out loud, it just occures to me out of the blue.

Drivers and cyclists need to be charged/ fined for their traffic transgressions. If a driver is the victims of the cyclist, why should the cyclists not pay for it? If there is no property tax on bicycles then maybe that’s the problem.

Out here motor vehicle licensing fees have been ramped up considerably in the last decade with the revenue supposedly dedicated to maintaining the roads, infrastructure, highway patrol, etc. Here in San Francisco there is an aggressive war on personal automobiles and there is a relentless ongoing transfer of roadway pavement to dedicated bicycle lanes. Major thoroughfares have lost lanes to dedicated bicycle traffic and weird reddish brown lanes devoted exclusively to buses and taxis. I think bicycles should have plates if only to track down and fine those cyclists flagrantly violating traffic laws.

You can still get a citation on a bicycle. If you are biking at night with no lights, you get fined. You can also get a DUI on a bike. There are other laws, but they are rarely enforced.

I think it’s just too much to keep track of. They keep track of mopeds, and boats with motors over a certain size. Dogs have to have rabies tags, proving that they have been vaccinated. People are supposed to have at least an ID card, after a certain age.

Should bikes have plates? I don’t think so. They’re too plentiful, and the parts are too interchangeable. Whenever I used to have a couple bikes that don’t work, I would make a working one out of the parts. I guess that’s done with cars too, but they have VIN numbers on certain parts, to keep track of the main components. Most bicycles have a number on the frame, but it is rarely used for anything other than identification of the bikes in a store setting.

Bikes get stolen SO much, that they’re almost interchangeable in urban areas.

We have bicycle rental stations in my city. They require a payment card to be rented. I assume that those bikes have a tracking number of some kind.

I wouldn’t care much for having to have a plate on a bicycle. Too much of a hassle.

@MrGrimm888 You can still get a citation on a bicycle. If you are biking at night with no lights, you get fined. You can also get a DUI on a bike. But that’s if the officer catches you. But what about when something happens when there is no officer.

@MrGrimm888 Sorry I didn’t quotation mark your statement in my last post.
Anyway to quote @stanleybmanly “I think bicycles should have plates if only to track down and fine those cyclists flagrantly violating traffic laws.“and causing accident major or not so major.

I do not agree with that sweeping generalization @flo. Flagrant violations depend on individuals and how responsible they are. If they are responsible, being licensed makes no difference in their behavior. If they’re irresponsible, being licensed makes no difference in their behavior.

I suppose anonymity could give someone less of a chance of being caught for doing something illegal in/on a vehicle. I won’t deny that. But there are LOTS of crimes that involve legally licensed vehicles. I just don’t think of bikes as a vehicle I guess. Plates on bikes ,to me, would be like plates on skateboards, roller skates, surfboards etc.